Bother at the Bank
by horacethepig
Summary: A robbery at the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank was clearly committed on behalf of a mage. Vice-chairman George Banks has more pressing problems. He needs urgent childcare after his wife's accident. Once again there are Banks children who need looking after...
1. Chapter 1: The Break-In

The rights to Mary Poppins belong to Walt Disney and to the estate of the late P.L. Travers. Those to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. Those to Rex Milligan belong to the late Anthony Buckeridge. Those to the Dana girls, Linda Craig and others to the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Those to Once Upon a Time are held by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Other rights belong to the BBC, DC Comics/Warner Brothers/Hanna-Barbera, Marvel Comics, Terrance Dicks, Jim Butcher, Joss Whedon, the estates of the late Enid Blyton, the late Charles Addams, the late Malcolm Saville, the late Ian Fleming, the late Peter O'Donnell, the late Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and more. I own nothing and make claim to the same nothing.

Early June 2019

"I don't think that I fully appreciated the taste of bangers and mash," Hermione Weasley noted drily, "until I moved to the United States. Now, I seem to be in this pub at least twice a week, as one of the few places which does authentic British cooking."

_The Alchemists Arms_ on the outskirts of New York looked to any passing no-majs to be a once high-end hotel that had long since fallen into ruin. Three taps on the gate with a wand or stave, however, would reveal that Gomez Addams had bought, refurbished and opened the place as a private members club for trusted mages and certain no-majs, empowered or otherwise. It was also the headquarters of the Secret Circle, a wizard taskforce that Stephen Strange had founded. For the payment of a small annual subscription, invited members would get access to a top-end restaurant, two themed bars for casual dining (one patterned after an American diner and the other after an old-fashioned British and Irish pub), four libraries, a games room, a ballroom, indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools, extensive gardens, a putting green and a quidditch pitch. There are even rooms and suites available for overnight stays and a main conference room for Secret Circle general council meetings. Other than modest charges for food, drinks and overnight stays, there are no extra payments due. Hermione was in the pub, which employed British chefs, who had settled in New York during Voldemort's puppet Ministry. It had developed a reputation amongst British members for offering high-quality food that tasted authentic.

Following her rape at the hands of a muggle crime lord in the Caribbean in Spring 2018, Hermione had given birth to a girl that was clearly biologically not Ron's. Her husband, however, had adopted Hope Pansy Weasley as his legal child and, like all the Weasleys and Potters, loved her as one of their own. Sadly, a press hate campaign over her _muggle immorality_ spearheaded by Rita Skeeter and the ensuing political fallout from conservative purebloods in the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot had made the couple decide that it was time to resign from the Ministry. The fact that the White Council was looking for people to head a Commission on House Elf Rights and a wizard version of Interpol, both based in New York. Some old friends had found them a house in Oak Falls, close to the Dana House. They (and during the school holidays Rose and Hugo) were now living there.

"I know, darling," Ron replied. "As nice as chilli dogs and Tex-Mex are, I do miss fish and chips every Friday and a fry-up on weekend mornings. Still, as you say, this place provides proper British pub grub at decent prices.

"At least we are out of the press firestorm in the States. Our family has a chance to recover from that horrible episode courtesy of Rita Skeeter."

"To be honest, love," Hermione agreed, "I felt almost as much violated by her so-called journalism as I was by the late unlamented Mr Gallia." Buonaparte Ignace Gallia IV had abducted and raped her, hoping to father a seer. Her nightmares of being chained stark naked to a bed whilst he ravaged her were only partly comforted by her great love for Hope, the result of her ordeal.

"_So-called journalism?!_" Rex Milligan, _The Quibbler_'s muggle correspondent erupted. "That _gruesome specimen_ is a muckraker of the highest order. Her articles are only fit for recycling as toilet paper. _Honestly, I ask you…?_

"That said, I can see why you would feel violated by her manufactured salacious gossip, Hermione. I can't see Rita doing tea and sympathy well. Her only interest is what forwards her career, with any misery she causes not being her problem.

"As far as I know, the _addle-pated clodpoll_ is still in voluntary exile. _Good riddance to bad rubbish!_"

"Thank you, Rex," Hermione replied with a smile. "You are a true investigative journalist and not a mere gossip columnist. Rita Skeeter is nothing but a beetle that thinks it can turn into a woman…"

Rex put his arm around his wife Louise Milligan nee Dana. Both the 1950s British schoolboy chronicler and the 1930s American girl detective were kept looking youthful (like many of their fellow Former Young Adventurers) by Sherlock Holmes' _elixir vitae_, the Royal Jelly Honey. Ever since Rex had met the then Luna Lovegood when both had been investigating the return of the Hound of the Baskervilles, he had been seen by the British wizards as very much one of their own. He was one of Lorcan and Lysander's godfathers, as well as Luna's honorary elder brother.

With Rex and Louise's seven-year-old adopted daughter Harriet Jean Luna Milligan (originally named Bernadette Imogene Gallia, Harriet was baby Hope's half-sister) also a pupil at the _Serafina Picquery Elementary School_ in New York that Hugo attended, the families had arranged to meet up with their friends from the United Kingdom in the pub on a regular basis. Despite still being based in the UK, the Potters had enrolled Lily in the school whilst many wizards and witches had been forced into exile during the brief time that a bargain the demon Neron had made with both Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge allowed them to take over the British wizard world from Christmas Night 2017 through to late February 2018. Since Harry and Ginny had both fallen in love with and then married Wednesday Friday Potter nee Addams in Summer 2017, a school founded by her father Gomez (with the primary purpose of educating the children of wizards, squibs and muggles with magical family ties) was always going to want Lily as a pupil and so she had stayed on for the rest of her primary education. She and Hugo were now finishing their last few weeks there before starting Hogwarts in September. Whilst both would miss the happy atmosphere of the school, they knew that it was time to begin their magical education as eleven-year-old mages.

Harry, Ginny and Wednesday were also in the pub, as were several of Ron and Hermione's Hogwarts contemporaries. It was no surprise to see the Scamanders and the Patil twins present, nor Ron and Ginny's brothers Bill and George with their respective wives and children. Others, however, would have been more unexpected. Back in summer 2016, the Potters and Weasleys had rescued Millicent Bulstrode and Pansy Parkinson from being bullied into helping Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott's schemes for pureblood supremacy. It turned out that the two of them and Tracey Davis had been subjected to a vicious campaign of bullying (and, in Pansy and Tracey's cases, rape) during the Carrows' reign of terror in their last year at Hogwarts, a bullying that had continued for Millie and Pansy after they had finished school. Harry had arranged for the three girls and Tracey's then-girlfriend (now wife) Daphne Greengrass to receive therapy and training with the Amazons on Themyscira. Not only had Millie and Pansy become a couple themselves on the island, but Millie had been chosen to become the alter ego of the superheroine Wonder Witch. After so many years of being accused of being fat and ugly, she was delighted to be the British wizard world's most popular pin-up. She certainly looked stunning in the costume! Now, she had a support group of superheroines, the Furies, which included Lioness and Wrath (or Ginny and Pansy respectively). Harry had blood-adopted Millie as his sister on Christmas Day 2016, two days before her marrying Pansy. He had also donated the sperm for Pansy's IVF and was proud to be biological father to Sirius Harry Potter, the thirteen-month-old son on Pansy's lap.

During the Exile in early 2018, the Malfoy administration had reintroduced a Marriage Law designed to force any exiled families with only female heirs to either get the sole or primary heiress married to a man or lose the vote to a proxy appointed by the usurpers. Caught by the Act, Daphne had married Harry, whilst keeping Tracey as her primary spouse. The now Daphne and Tracey Greengrass-Potter were also present, Daphne's six-month-old daughter Dora cradled in her arms, conceived with Harry in the traditional manner. Susan Bones, also caught by the law, had married her long-time best friends Neville and Hannah Longbottom. The three were cuddled together in a cosy nook, with Susan Bones-Longbottom's baby bump rapidly developing. Daphne, Tracey and Susan are now the alter egos of the Furies Protectress, Vendetta and Nemesis respectively. The superheroines are rounded out by Grace (Parvati Patil), Justice (Padma Patil), Alicia Spinnet (Tracker), Katie Bell (Pursuer), Gabrielle Delacour (Allure) and Astoria Malfoy (Warrior). With Draco and Astoria sitting opposite the Greengrass-Potters, Katie and Alicia with George and Angelina and Gabrielle with Bill, Fleur and Victoire and Teddy Lupin (Victoire's fiancé), the Furies (albeit out of their costumes) were all present and correct.

"Well, we are settled in now," Hermione admitted. "That said, if an incident involving House Elves brings us back to dear old Blighty for a couple of weeks, I wouldn't object."

"Don't speak too soon, love!" Ron warned her wryly. "Be careful what you wish for, dear. It just might happen…"

A couple of days later, evening was falling over London. The Fidelity Fiduciary Bank was winding down for the night, closing time for customers having come and gone. One of the last independent banks in Britain, still largely run by the Dawes family and its offshoots. The other shareholders had also been connected to the institution since at least the start of the Twentieth Century.

"Everything is right in the world, George," said Richard Dawes, the current chairman. "The bank is still run on moral principles by the same families. When prudently invested, a few pennies can still become a small fortune in the right hands, albeit over a longer period than before.

"_Oh sorry, George!_ With your wife crippled and three young children at home…"

"That's OK, Richard," vice-chairman George Banks replied. "Claire might be in a wheelchair, but she still keeps her spirits up. The children could do with a nanny or an au pair, as we have only a cleaning lady a couple of times a week…"

A loud bang sounded from the vaults below. Richard and George looked at each other in surprise, as the night security guards charged down into the vaults. There was much shouting and the blaring of alarms. Then one of the security guards came out of the monitor room looking puzzled. "Sirs! You _must_ see the footage that I just saw!"

"What is it, John?" George asked kindly.

"You would never believe it if I told you, sir. I'm not sure that _I believe it…_"

The footage showed a strange being a couple of foot high with a long nose and massive ears and clad in what looked like a cut-out burlap sack appearing in the vaults. A safe-deposit-box was blown open with just a snap of the creature's fingers. _Something_ floated out of the box into the intruder's hands, at which point the _whatever it was_ disappeared with its prize.

"_What the hell was that?!_" Richard asked rhetorically. "Do we know who that box belongs to?"

"It belonged to some mysterious personage called Gellert Grindelwald…"

"Why would Grindelwald have an account with _a muggle bank?!_" Ron asked bemused. He was in the main conference room at _The Alchemists Arms_, the general council of the Secret Circle in full session. This consisted of Harry, Ginny, Wednesday, Millie and Pansy Potter, Bill, Fleur, Ron and Hermione Weasley, Gomez, Morticia, Fester and Pugsley Addams, Stephen Strange, Clea, Wanda Maximoff, Jason Blood, Madame Xanadu, Giovanni and Zatanna Zatara, Dr Fate, John Constantine, Harry Dresden, Endora, Samantha and Tabitha Stephens, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell, Paige Matthews, Will Stanton, Willow Rosenberg, Rupert Giles, Hadji Quest-Singh, Emma Swan and Regina and Zelena Mills. Only the largely retired Sar Dubotnal and Mandrake were absent.

"Perhaps he wanted to hide something where no wizard would think to look?" Gomez offered. "With all due respect, Ron, British mages have a reputation for ignoring the muggle world. Perhaps a Dark Wizard found some clues to something Grindelwald had hidden there?"

"The Fidelity Fiduciary Bank is an old family firm," came a voice from one of the side tables to the sides of the room. The council sat around a massive round table in the centre. The Doctor stepped forward, a frown on her face. "Perhaps the Dawes, Banks or whatever families had a wizard or witch member in the past?

"Alternatively," the Doctor paused in thought, "I wonder if he might have heard of the Banks' links with an old friend of mine…?"

"Who?" Hermione asked. "Another Time Lord?"

"No, Hermione. She is neither from Gallifrey or of Time Lord stock. My old friend is a true one-off.

"Rex, you have been investigating the myths of London for many years. Can you remember the one about the flying Nanny of Cherry Tree Lane?"

Rex Milligan frowned from another side table. "Mary Poppins is a Nanny supposed to fly down from the sky on a bird-handled brolly whenever the Banks family needs saving from themselves or others. She is supposedly able to bring dreams into reality and make the imagination literally come alive. All children remember, but adults forget whatever magic she brought within days. Even the children only remember the reality as dreams once they have grown up.

"That seems bonkers, honestly, but the legend is kept alive by those adults who do remember. There was a jack-of-all-trades, a lamplighter and others. I spoke to an electrician in the 1970s, who claimed to have met her. He was the grandson of the lamplighter and a Jane Banks, one of Miss Poppins' old charges."

"There was a George Banks at the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank," Harry Potter recalled. "I interviewed him and then _obliviated_ him. He was a nice chap. Sadly, his wife has recently been in a driving accident and rendered unable to walk. They have three children under eleven too."

"The Banks children need looking after," Rex mused. "Mary Poppins would know that, Doctor. If the legend is remotely true, she will know that she is needed. Should we look to the skies?"

"Yes, but I'll pay her a social call to make sure."

"Anyway," Stephen Strange interjected, "this is clearly a matter involving House Elves used for criminal purposes, Hermione. I assume that you and Ron are going to be leading a House Elf Commission and Wizard Interpol investigation into the matter, with the full cooperation of Harry Potter and Kingsley Shacklebolt?"

"We are," Ron confirmed. "As my wife was saying it seems as if a case is calling us back home for the duration. Thankfully, we can commute each day from the States after dropping Hugo off at school."

"Any news, George?" asked Claire Banks from her wheelchair in the lounge of 17 Cherry Tree Lane, their three children Michael, Jane and Annabel gathered around her. Sidney, or Sid, a local handyman who was related to the Banks via a great-great-aunt who had married a lamplighter, was finishing fixing a tap.

"There you go, guv," Sid offered in an East London accent. "That should be all fixed. I'll see myself out…"

"Not before I've paid you, Sid," George said firmly. "We also must meet up at the weekend.

"As to your question, Claire, the robbery remains unsolved. There was some security camera footage that a Superintendent Potter took away. It was an ordinary break-in, from what I remember.

"Children, I am looking into getting some extra childcare, particularly as the summer holidays start in a few weeks. It isn't easy…"

"I don't know," Sid offered casually. "There's a wind from the East. Something is in the air…"

The TARDIS materialised on a cloud. The Doctor stepped out and smiled at the elegant brunette in early-twentieth-century attire. "Good afternoon. It has been a long time, old friend."

"Indeed, it has," the brunette responded primly. "So, you are a woman now, Doctor? I thought that as a lady you would be more elegant, but you have your usual complete lack of dress sense, I see."

"**_Oi!_** I am into charity shop chic these days!"

"I see. Well, Doctor, I wish that I could stop to chat. There's a family that needs me."

"Name of Banks, perchance? There has been a break-in at the bank. I don't think that they are related at all. Are they?"

"No. George Banks' wife has been rendered paralysed from the waist down after a motor accident. The dreadful new-fangled things are a menace!

"The bank incident is a matter for magic users. As you know, I am not one."

"**_Really?!_** You can't use that imagination nonsense on _me_, Mary Poppins! I'm not some adult human who forgets everything magical the next day.

"Wizards are investigating the matter. You will give them your full cooperation, I trust?"

"As if I would do anything else! Really, Doctor, I am a respectable professional. Isn't that right?"

"Of course, Mary Poppins!" croaked the bird's head handle of her umbrella. "You are still practically perfect in every way!"

"I must get one of those!" the Doctor grumbled.

"Michael, what are we to do? Dad's busy at the bank and Mum's unable to look after us properly."

"I don't know, Jane. Mum is still able to do most things or will be once she gets used to her electric wheelchair. We just need to accept that Dad will probably have to get an au pair shortly.

"There is still a park nearby and plenty of things to do in this old house. The family is well-off. We could be in a much worse situation. All we can do is be there for Mum and Dad."

At ten years old, the two were twins, with Annabel two years their junior.

Exiting the house, they saw their parents talking to Sid. "Dad, we were thinking of taking Annabel to the park…"

From nowhere came a rushing wind. In the sky, a lady in Edwardian finery was descending from the sky, an open umbrella in one hand and a carpet bag in the other. "What is going on?" Claire asked.

"_She's returned!_" Sid breathed. "I told you there was a wind from the East!"

The lady landed on the pavement and the wind died down. "I hear that the Banks children need a Nanny. I am Mary Poppins, but we can discuss my terms and references later. In the meantime, I can take the children to the park. _Spit spot!_"


	2. Chapter 2: Can You Imagine That!

"So, we have the Serpent Ring of Set? Your house elf stole it from Grindelwald's muggle bank box?"

"Yes, Cadger obtained it for you.

"It was interesting how you found those papers that the Dark Wizard hid before his defeat by Albus Dumbledore. I'm surprised that Voldemort never asked about anything other than the Elder Wand before he killed him."

"What interest did the Dark Lord ever have in the ritual summoning of demons? Not that _we_ have any such interest ourselves, you understand. Just to have an item created by Thoth-Amon himself should give us an aura of greatness among the Conservative Purebloods."

Kingsley Shacklebolt pulled Hermione Weasley into a firm embrace before grasping Ron's hand in an equally firm grip. "It is good to see you both in the Ministry again," he rumbled.

"Likewise, Kingsley dear!" Hermione replied, pecking his cheek affectionately. "It is good to be back where we belong. As much as we are happy with our new jobs, we have unfinished business reforming the Ministry.

"That said, we have a job to do finding out why a house elf has robbed a muggle bank. What would Gellert Grindelwald have deposited in one in the first place?"

"Where is Hope?"

"Oh, she's with Mum and Dad," Ron replied. "They and Hermione's parents have agreed to take it in turns to look after our baby girl. Dad is retired and the in-laws are both semi-retired, so they have the time on their hands now. Hermione intends to pop in every two or three hours to feed her as well.

"Hermione is on maternity leave currently, but this is something that has piqued her curiosity. There is so much about this that is mysterious. That is even without Rex paying a visit to Cherry Tree Lane…"

"You can't just show up and expect us to let you take our children!" George's tone was firm, but not unreasonable.

"Oh, you are just like your namesake! That is, your great-great-great-grandfather and not your great-uncle. He was firm but fair too!

"For your perusal, Mr Banks, here are my references. They should be in order.

"Now, I want every second Tuesday afternoon off and my room by the old nursery. We can negotiate any other emoluments later. It is time to take our walk, children.

"Goodbye, Mr and Mrs Banks. Are you coming, Sid?"

"Wait," George said again softly. "_Mary Poppins?! I thought that she was just a family tradition…_"

"_She is the cat's mother, Mr Banks!_ As you can see, _I am not a tradition!_"

"I wouldn't offend her," Sid advised with a chuckle. "Mary Poppins is a force of nature. Behind that mixture of honey and vinegar you could find both ice and cyanide!

"An afternoon with Mary Poppins, however, will be mind-blowing. See you both later."

"This is a charming day for a walk in the park, darling," Louise Milligan said, as she and Rex strolled arm-in-arm through the park by Cherry Tree Lane. It was a Saturday, so Harriet was holding Louise's other hand. Also present was Louise's younger sister Jean Dana-Craig and her wife Linda.

"Indeed, it is, love," Rex agreed. "Sometimes you can forget that we are only a short walk from the hustle and bustle of the city.

"Ah, that must be her.

"Pardon this intrusion, Ms Poppins. I am…"

"I know who you are, Mr Milligan! Presumably your wizard friends sent you. Well, I shall be happy to assist in your investigations, as I told our mutual friend the Doctor.

"Meet Sid, a local plumber. In addition, these are my new charges, Michael, Jane and Annabel Banks."

"Did you say _wizards?!_" Michael was clearly incredulous. "_There is no such thing as magic!_"

"As I had to keep telling your namesake, Michael, close your mouth. You are not a codfish!

"_As for magic, if you set free the power of your imaginations, it is all around you…_" As Mary Poppins spoke, three squirrels, four pigeons and a family of robins appeared from the trees. "Yes, it is good to see you all again, my friends! These are my new charges. Hopefully, we shall get to play later…

"In the meantime, Mr, Mrs and Miss Milligan and Mrs and Mrs Dana-Craig, it has been a pleasure to meet you all. I shall be at the _Leaky Cauldron_ on Monday at 10 am prompt. Tell your wizard friends to meet me then. A good day to you all.

"Sid, children, we have had a long enough constitution for the time being. Come along. _Spit spot!_"

"_Mrs Poppins! _You still haven't shown us _this so-called magic…_"

"_Miss or Ms Poppins, Michael!_ I am not married. You can call me Mary Poppins informally.

"As for magic, well, I can give you a demonstration." She opened her carpet bag and pulled out a toy boat and placed it in the duckpond. The Nanny jumped and seemed to shrink, landing gracefully on the deck. Sid followed suit, as did Rex, Louise, Harriet, Jean and Linda. "Permission to come aboard, Ma'am?!" Rex asked with a mock salute. "Granted, Mr Milligan!" Mary Poppins replied with the thin-lipped grimace that could almost pass for a smile. _What was it the Doctor told us about her? She isn't one to waste time on being nice…_

Meanwhile, on the side bank of the duckpond, Jane and Annabel looked at each other and leapt. To their surprise, they felt themselves shrink, before they landed on the foredeck of what seemed to be a full-size sailing yacht. After a pause, Michael decided to copy their actions. He too found himself on a boat considerably grander than the one the toy had appeared to be. "_This is impossible! How ever did you do it, Mary Poppins?!_"

"As I told you, Michael, magic is all around you. You just must imagine something. In this case, I had to imagine it for all of us."

"If only Luna was here, she would be over the moon at this," Rex noted. "I've seen wizards reshape reality with just a wand and their will. None has ever pulled _this_ off. How did you do it?"

"Have you ever met a man named Jim Corrigan, Mr Milligan?"

"The American policeman who went on a killing spree after his family was murdered, got shot down by his surviving enemies and, as a penance, was made the current avatar of the Spectre, the Angel of Death of the Exodus? Yes, we have met."

"You also know Susan Stanton nee Pevensie and a certain extradimensional friend of hers, I believe."

"Yes, I know both Susan and Aslan, Ms Poppins. Where is this going?"

"I am _The Great Exception!_ No Laws of Nature apply to me! No explanations for what I do can I give, so none shall be offered.

"Like Aslan and the Spectre, I am an entity that plays on the Cosmic Level. Only the One Who Is Three is more powerful than I, being Above All.

"I, for reasons of my own, took an interest in the Banks Family. When they need a Nanny, I shall come and stay until I am no longer needed. This time, I shall stay until what is broken shall be mended.

"Now, my friends, we are about to have an adventure!" As she spoke, the yacht sailed into a drainage channel. Once inside, however, they found themselves by a quayside, with people in Edwardian finery strolling along the promenade. Looking at their own clothes, everyone found that they were dressed according to the same time period. Mary Poppins' own attire was now high-end casual attire of the period and not her usual attire as a Nanny. "You, there, I'll through you a mooring rope."

"_Aye, aye, Mary Poppins!_" replied a walrus in a yellow oilskin jacket and sou'wester, catching the rope with his front flippers.

"_Es imposible!_" muttered the olive-skinned, raven-haired, dark-eyed, tall and slender Linda. "_I didn't just see that, did I, mi amada?!_"

"From what Rex says, _my darling_," the tall slender blonde Jean replied, "I think that we should _expect the impossible_ from Mary Poppins!"

"_Impossible?! Fossilised fishhooks!_" the tall dark-haired Rex exclaimed. "This is someone who uses imagination to overwrite reality with the absurd!

"If she is as powerful as Aslan or the Spectre, we are dealing with at least a demi-god level of strength. I recommend taking Mary Poppins with as much caution as we can allow her."

"Seconded!" the brunette Louise fervently offered, slightly taller than her younger sister, but just as willowy, and with a bewitching pair of soft brown eyes.

"I like her, Mummy, Daddy and Aunties," replied the mixed-race Harriet, running her fingers through her dark curly hair, "but she terrifies me at the same time. _There's something about Mary Poppins…_

"Now, she's not cruel, as my birth father was. I think that she is good and kind. _She's not very nice though!_"

"Anger her and I think that you face a wrath as terrifying as the Spectre's!" Louise agreed. "While she seems to like children, I think that a bad adult would be in serious trouble!

"What's Mary Poppins doing now?!"

"I think that she is taking her charges onto that carousel on the pier, darling! Let's join them!"

"If only they were _real horses_," the expert horsewoman Linda noted, "I could gallop away like I do on Chica d'Oro." Chica d'Oro (_Golden Girl_) was Linda's beloved golden palomino. Linda joked that their shared Hispanic blood explained their almost telepathic bond.

With everyone having taken a horse on the carousel, the music started to play, and it started to spin. The horses, however, left the carousel to take their riders for a canter along first the pier and then the promenade.

"Do you _still_ not believe in magic, Michael?" Jane asked her twin, teasingly.

"Oh, trust me, Jane, I'm revising my opinions on the subject rapidly! This is _mad, but the best fun that I've had since Mum's accident…_"

This time, the smile on the face of Mary Poppins was a genuine one. "Ah, here we are. This is the old _Palace of Varieties_.

"It is four o'clock, so we shall take tea before attending the performance. Good to see you again, my friends." This was addressed to three penguins dressed as waiters, who had arrived by a table in front of the café beside the music hall.

"Likewise, Mary Poppins! We shall bring you our very best cream tea.

"Are you going to sing and dance tonight?"

"Oh, _please say you will, _Mary Poppins! It would be such a treat for the people of Walrus Wharf!"

"Well…"

"Thank you, Headmistress," Harry said as he was led up to the familiar study. "It was good of you to allow me to speak to a certain late predecessor of yours."

"I haven't been your Astronomy Professor for some two decades, Harry. Call me Aurora!" Aurora Sinistra had succeeded Minerva McGonagall as Headmistress after the latter's retirement the previous summer.

"In any event, I'm sure that you want to address Albus Dumbledore's portrait in private. _Dumbledore!_"

"What is it, Aurora? _Oh! Harry, my boy, so good of you to drop in!_"

"It is good to see you again too.

"There was a recent break-in by a house elf in a muggle bank in London. The elf stole _something_ from a deposit box in the vaults of the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank that had belonged to…"

"_Gellert Grindelwald!_" Dumbledore sighed from his portrait.

"A decade or so after our parting of the ways, so about 1909 or thereabouts, Gellert wrote to me. He had foolishly acquired and attempted to use something called the Serpent Ring of Set. This had been the property of a Dark Wizard named Thoth-Amon about 12,000 years ago.

"Gellert had assumed that it would boost his power, but instead he summoned a couple of powerful demons. Only the intervention of a mysterious figure who called himself Cole Hawlings saved Gellert from an untimely death and sent the demons back whence they came.

"He asked me to recommend a good muggle bank that he could hide the ring in. I had heard from a muggle-born wizard surnamed Dawes of his family's bank. Gellert later wrote me a further letter, in which he informed me that the ring was safely in the bank. His preference would have been to destroy it, but the ring was too powerful for him to do so. Whilst he always hoped that he had destroyed all records that referred to the ring and its location, he always feared that a later follower would attempt to use it.

"_Harry, that ring is dangerous!_ Voldemort would have no use for it and Gellert was never either mad or evil enough to risk it once he learned the truth about the foul thing. You have told me of some of your new friends. I am sure that the Sorcerer Supreme, the Master of Fate or the Demon would know a way of either storing it safely or destroying it.

"Let us hope that the new possessor or possessors merely want to use it as a symbol and not to call forth fiends from the pit."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said. "At least I now know what we might be dealing with."

"Be careful, Harry! Advise your friends to take good care too. This is potentially _world-ending…_"

"Come on in!" Padma Patil called in response to the knock on the door of the main office of the Magical Crown Prosecution Service in the Ministry of Magic. "Hi Ron and Hermione!"

"Hi Padma," Hermione replied happily. "You and Susan have really done a great job. This place looks professional.

"Can you and Susan advise us on any muggle crimes involving house elves. Harry is at Hogwarts, so he can establish if Dumbledore has any ideas as to what was stolen."

"Sue's at an ante-natal clinic at St Mungo's, Hermione. I'm not due in court today though." Kingsley had established the Magical Crown Prosecution Service some years before. Susan Bones-Longbottom and Padma were respectively the Head and Deputy Head. "Mopsy, please find any cases you know of crimes committed by house elves.

"Before you say anything, Hermione, Mopsy is a paid employee. She heads up our support team."

"Miss Patil, there have been no muggle bank robberies attributed to mages, house elves or any other magical creatures. In addition, Mopsy has not found any recent cases of thefts committed by house elves, as far as is known. Will that be all, Miss Patil?"

Yes, thank you Mopsy. _When will you call me Padma?!_"

"_Not today, Miss Patil!_"

"So, this is highly unusual," Ron mused. "Has any house elf recognised the one in the picture?"

"Mopsy doesn't, Mr Weasley, nor has any house elf that Mopsy has asked."

"Traces of burlap have been found in the bank," Padma added, "but no muggle forensic scientist that we have consulted could identify anything easily traceable about it so far. We have few leads so far, from what Harry tells me anyway.

"This is a baffling one, my friends."

"That was great fun, Ms Poppins," Rex said. "You lived up to the Doctor's description of you."

Mary Poppins fished the toy boat out of the duckpond. A few ducks and geese swam up and quacked and honked at her. "Yes, it was good to see you all again too, my friends.

"It was good to meet you all too. Mr, Mrs and Miss Milligan and Mrs and Mrs Dana-Craig, please tell your wizard friends that I shall see them on Monday morning, as I told you earlier. I shall offer you all the support that I can. A very good day to you all.

"Michael, Jane and Annabel, it is time that we are getting home. If you would care to accompany us, Sid? _Spit spot!_"

"Did you have a good day at the park, everyone?" George asked. "Thank you for looking after the kids for us, Mary Poppins, Sid."

"_It was wonderful, Dad!_" Annabel gushed excitedly. "Mary Poppins took us on a toy boat to a harbour village in an overflow channel off the duckpond in the park. We got to ride carousel horses like horses and sing and dance with penguins and walruses.

"Can we do it again, tomorrow? _Please, Mary Poppins…?_"

"We will see about that, Jane.

"In the meantime, I'll get you all tucked up in bed for the night. Goodnight, Sid, Mr and Mrs Banks."

A couple of minutes later, Claire Banks could have sworn that she saw Mary Poppins and the three children slide up the bannisters. _I must have imagined it. That's impossible…_

"How was Mary Poppins, Rex, Louise? Is she all that the Doctor said?" The Scamanders, Milligan and Dana-Craigs were with the Potters, Weasleys and other in the pub at _The Alchemists Arms_ that evening. As the non-boarding school children were present, Teddy and Victoire were happy to be keeping an eye on them.

"Mary Poppins is all that her reputation suggests that she is, Luna. She took us for a sail on a toy boat in a duckpond and sing and dance with penguins dressed as waiters. In short, unusual even by our standards…"

"It was _increíble, mi amigo..._ That Mary Poppins claimed to be _a Force of Nature…_"

"_The Great Exception!_" the Doctor interjected. "Mary Poppins is a good friend. She is good and kind, albeit not always _nice_.

"If she is involved, _expect the impossible and believe the incredible._ Mary Poppins will surprise us all."

"In the meantime," Hermione noted, Hope cradled in her arms, "we have a dangerous magical item and its thieves to find…"


	3. Chapter 3: Of the Living and the Dead

"What are we doing today, Mary Poppins? _Please tell me it will be as fun as yesterday…_"

"I am sure that it will be, Annabel. Now, I didn't make the place homely. It is time to take a few items out of my bag." Mary Poppins opened her carpet bag and pulled out a grandfather clock and a conifer in a pot. Both were far too big to fit into it, but none of the three children were surprised at all.

"Now, children, we must cook a Sunday lunch for ourselves, Sid and your parents. I remember your father saying that there was a loin of pork in the fridge. Let us go down and see. _Spit spot!_"

"That doesn't exactly sound like fun," Michael commented dubiously.

"There is fun in everything, Michael. All it takes is a _spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down!_

"Now, have any of you dome much cooking before?"

"I've helped Mum make cupcakes a couple of times," Jane proffered, "but not Sunday lunch. That is unusual for ten-year-olds, Mary Poppins!"

"Oh, but a roast dinner pretty much makes itself, Jane." By this time, they had gone down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. "All the chefs can do is ruin it!" As she spoke, the fridge, cupboard and drawers sprung open in turn and food and utensils flew out. The oven turned itself on to the correct temperature.

"_Makes itself, Mary Poppins?! Literally with you!_"

"As I said, Michael, there is magic all around you…"

A few miles off Themyscira was a small island that the Six Goddesses had given to Millie and Pansy as a wedding present. Potter Island (Ginny, Millie and Pansy had overruled Harry's objections) now had an elegant manor called the Kilns with the left wing dubbed the Meadows, as well as a few subsidiary buildings for family and friends.

A training session having finished, the Furies were now sunbathing with their significant others on one of the beaches. Ron and Hermione had joined them with Hugo and Hope. Harry and Kreacher were busy starting the barbecue.

"How was your ante-natal class, Susan?"

"It went well, thank you, Hermione." Susan snuggled in to Neville and Hannah, stealing a quick kiss from both in turn. "It's twin boys! One shall be a Bones and the other a Longbottom."

"Nev and I are undergoing IVF," Hannah added, "for an Abbott heir. Sue has volunteered to try for a third son if that fails. She wants a girl at some point anyway."

"I also like the love-making, Han! You two are the Loves of my Life!"

"How did I bag the kindest, prettiest and most devoted pair of Hufflepuffs?" Neville wondered aloud.

"Keep saying things like that about us, Nev, and two bikini tops are coming off! Right, Sue?"

"Right, Han! Nev, darling, you won us by being a Hufflepuff in Gryffindor uniform! You are handsome too, which helps.

"All three of us got lucky! Now, kiss me, both of you!"

Hermione smiled at the trio, who were clearly going to be distracted for some time. She then looked over to where the bikini-clad forms of the Patil twins were splashing about happily in the sea. Getting up, she picked up a gurgling Hope and went over to the shoreline. "Having fun, girls?"

"Yes, thank you Hermione dear," Parvati responded. "Hope really is blossoming into a beautiful baby.

"Padma tells me that you and Ron are both working a case back in London. The pair of you must bring Hugo and Hope for dinner one weekend. It is always good to have a proper catch-up."

"It is, indeed, Parvati. How is the business going?"

"Very well, thank you." Parvati was the founder of a major dressmaking business. She ran it from a factory next to the Hertfordshire home that she shared with her twin.

"I've spoken to Sue, Hermione," Padma said, "and she agrees with me that any help that you require will be provided. Presumably Kingsley and Harry would agree with me."

"Of course, Padma," Harry agreed, from in front of the barbecue. "Even if Ron hadn't been a great Deputy Head of the Auror Department, they are also two great heroes of the Second Voldemort War. Even more to the point, they are family!"

"We are indeed," Ron agreed, pulling Harry in for a manly hug. "You, Gin, and the rest were a godsend after what happened to Hermione. Pansy and Tracey were brilliant with the missus. We love you all very much."

"So, Hermione," Ginny asked with a grin, "do you still think that Ron has all the emotional depth of a teaspoon?!"

"No, Gin. He has graduated to a serving spoon!"

"On that subject," Harry noted, "grub's up!"

Michael was right. With Mary Poppins in charge, it was _literally_ true that a Sunday roast could cook itself! The potatoes, carrots and swede were peeled and sliced without human intervention. All the vegetables and the meat all floated into the correct baking tray or saucepan before being cooked in the appropriate manner, whether roasted, boiled or whatever. All the children had to do was wash up and dry up as needed. After three hours, the meal was finished.

"This is wonderful, Mary Poppins, children," Claire exclaimed delightedly once the meal was served. "You must do this more often. What do you think, George, Sid?"

"I am proud of you all, children," George agreed. "Thank you, Mary Poppins."

"What they said," Sid agreed. "This was top notch nosh! Would I expect anything less from Mary Poppins?!"

"It was amazing, Dad, Mum," Annabel gushed. "The food prepared and cooked _itself by magic…_"

"By _magic_, Annabel?! Don't be silly! You are letting your imagination run away with you."

"_Mary Poppins!_ You know that it did…"

"Not you as well, Michael…"

"So, what do you think Mary Poppins will be like tomorrow?" Pansy asked, as she and Ginny kept an eye on Lily and Hugo from their sun loungers. Magic had easily taken care of the washing up, drying up and putting away. Millie was nearby, fussing over Sirius. Tracey was cradling Dora, with Daphne having a chat with Draco and Astoria. Harry and Wednesday were discussing a forthcoming trial with Padma and Susan. The others were enjoying a couple of hours downtime in the sun.

"From what Rex and Louise told us yesterday," her friend replied, "what Mary Poppins thinks _of us_ might be the appropriate question!

"_Just how_ do you create an alternate universe in a bloody duckpond drainage channel?! I'm not sure that Stephen, Endora or Dr Fate could achieve _that!_"

"I _really_ hope she's on our side, Gin!"

"As do I, Pansy dear. _As do I!_

"Now, the sea looks lovely and warm. We are both in bikinis. Fancy a swim?"

"Sure. No point having a Paradise Island and not taking full advantage of it!

"_Oh, hi Diana!_"

Wonder Woman landed on the beach. "Hi Pansy, Ginny, everyone.

"Harry, could you visit the Temple of the Six Goddesses on Themyscira please? We have set up a visit to the Afterlife for you. You need to speak to someone from the far past about a ring…"

Harry, as a Man Blessed of the Six Goddesses, was able to step foot on Themyscira. He lay down in front of the Eternal Flame as directed. Hippolyta herself led a ritual dance. As the dance finished, he fell into a deep trance.

"Hi Harry!" A grinning Lavender Brown pulled him into a tight embrace, before Fred Weasley followed her example. They were on the shore of a great silvery lake. A dark island lay across the bay.

"Hi Lavender, Fred!" Harry laughed back. "I was expecting my parents, Sirius, Remus and Tonks. No offence!"

"None taken!" Fred assured him. "They await you later. We were chosen as your guides for this trip across the Styx. I hope you have the drachma fee?

"By the way, you will give my love to George, Angie and the rest, won't you, brother-in-law of mine?!"

"Of course! Do you have any messages to pass on, Lavender?"

"Tell my parents, Parv, Pads and everyone that I love them and miss them."

"I will, old friend. We all miss you both too."

"Now, here is Charon. Fancy a boat trip, Harry?! We must take you to meet Mighty Conan…"

Once across the Styx, Harry was introduced to a massive bronzed brute of a man, in the regal attire of the dim and distant past. He was sullen with thick black hair, with fierce blue eyes indicative of a keen intelligence that seemed out of place on a barbarian. There were three women with him, two tall and voluptuous and one lithe and beautiful. Two, including the lithe one, had hair as black as the night and the other hair as golden as the sun.

"I am Conan," spoke the man in a deep, rich voice. "These are Bêlit, Valeria and Zenobia, my loves. In my life, I threw the Serpent Ring of Set into the sea after my and Zenobia's son Conn killed the evil Thoth-Amon.

"_By Crom_, I wanted that foul thing never found! Unfortunately, with the millennia it washed ashore, until it was found by a wizard as you know. He tried to use it, but the ring is controlled by beings from Beyond. Only the intervention of a Guardian saved him.

"Be warned, young wizard. There are powers out there that will stop at nothing to enter this world. _Only the Great Exception can stop them and only the Oncoming Storm can destroy the ring…_"

"That didn't help as much as I hoped," Harry mused as he disembarked from the boat. "Mary Poppins and the Doctor are both required at the end, though.

"_Mum, Dad, Sirius, Remus, Tonks!_ I love you all! It is great to see you all!" With that, Harry was pulled into the three-way embrace he had always longed to share with his parents. It was both welcome and heart-breaking at the same time.

"We always will be with you and yours, you know that, our _darling boy_," Lily said softly. "Love is always stronger than Death itself. Never forget that, Harry. Love is so powerful that it defeated Voldemort in more ways than you know.

"Severus sends his regards, by the way."

"Please return them, Mum! You guys made up then?!"

"We have, Harry. _Was he a jealous idiot?! Yes, he was. Did he make up for it?! He did – and some!_"

Sirius, Remus and Tonks took it in turns to hug Harry. "Remember, Harry," Remus told him, "we shall always be with you, even though we are gone. _You may not see us, but we are there._

"Please hug Andy and Teddy for Sirius, Dora and me."

"Thank you for naming that daughter of yours after me. Particularly since it was Dora and not that _damn fool name…_"

"What was that, _Nymphadora…?_"

"_Don't make me hurt you, cousin Sirius!_ Good to see you again, Harry!"

"Son" James said, "I do have something to ask. What do you know about soulmates?"

"Quite a lot, having three of them!"

"You have four actually, not including your familial bonds with Millie, Pansy and Tracey. In addition, you have yet to fully bond with Ginny, Wednesday and Daphne."

"_I have consummated…_"

"James is right, _my darling boy_. _Can you hear Ginny's very thoughts?! Do you always sense, even when far apart, exactly where Wednesday is?! Could you share magical strength remotely with Daphne?_

"Those are what _soul bonds are, Harry_. The Six Goddesses of Themyscira are not Divine _per se_. Only the One Who Is Three has that _essence_. They can, however, give Blessings as Ascended Beings. One is coming your way shortly. Those will _save three lives before the week is out…_"

"Are _my loves_…?"

"Not directly, Harry," Sirius told him. "There are bonds developing other than yours and not all the bonds being strengthened are romantic.

"Go with our love, Harry. Kiss those loves and children for us. Until we meet again…"

Harry was embraced by each of the seven departed souls with him in turn, Lily, Tonks and Lavender pecking his cheek as they did so. After that, he awoke back in the Temple on Themyscira.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Fred sends his love, Ginny, Ron. Parvati, Padma, so does Lavender.

"We need to speak to Stephen Strange."

"Is there a spell for detecting magical bonds, Stephen?" Harry asked, everyone having gathered in the _Sanctum Sanctorum_. "My parents and godfather have given me a cryptic message from beyond.

"Something major is going on, I can feel it!"

Stephen nodded. "Let us see, Harry.

"I shall open the Eye of Agamotto. What does Time reveal? Ah, yes.

"There are four romantic bonds, as well as ones with your offspring and blood-adopted sister. She in turn has a romantic bond with Pansy Potter, as Daphne Greengrass-Potter has with Tracey. Your wives are four of your romantic soulmates, with sisterly ones with Millicent, Pansy and Tracey. The fourth is with your first ever date."

"_Cho's happily married!_ It can't be… Wait! _The Yule Ball! Parvati!_"

"Miss Patil has a twin bond, Harry, which is more powerful than a normal familial one. Said twin has two romantic bonds, with your best friends."

"_I wasn't the only one who had a disastrous date with a True Love that night then!_

"Luckily, wizard Hindus don't have hang-ups over homosexuality. I presume that all my girls are also bonded with each of the others?"

"You are correct in this assumption, Harry."

"_This is mad!_" Ron complained. "What do I do with two wives?! Hermione and her parents are devout Anglicans. How will her folks take Hermione taking a wife as well as a husband?"

"Mum and Dad are _Liberal_, Ron, as you know. They were shocked by polygamy at first, but accept it as an Amazonian quirk, adopted by mages. As they have got on well with Padma in the past, I can't see that being a problem.

"Why is this so important, Harry? You took us here like a shot!"

"Three lives are at stake, according to Mum and Dad, Hermione.

"Now, I don't know…" Harry was cut off by Parvati pulling him in for a long kiss.

"_Wow! That is what a True Love's Kiss is like!_ My heart is all a-flutter!

"Dad will be delighted, Harry _love!_ I can be a Patil-Potter and give any sons my maiden name."

"Welcome to the family, Parvati!" Ginny said, kissing her tenderly on the lips.

"May I?" Hermione asked, walking up to Padma and throwing her arms around her. At a nod from her friend, the two started snogging furiously.

"_Objection waved!_" Ron muttered. "_My girls kissing is hot…_"

"Which of us gets to hex him?"

"Hermione _darling_, why don't we both hex him…?"

"What's _'Mum'_ in Hindi, Auntie Parvati?"

"_'__Genda.' _Why, Lily?"

"_I needed to know how to address you properly, Genda!_"

"Auntie Padma? You don't mind if…"

"Please call me _Genda_, Hugo dear."

At 10 am British Summer Time precisely on Monday, after dropping the three children off at school, Mary Poppins arrived in Charing Cross Road. She entered the _Leaky Cauldron_, where Rex and Louise awaited her with Luna, the Doctor, Harry, Ginny, Wednesday, Millie, Parvati, Padma and Ron. Pansy, Daphne and Tracey were looking after Lily, Hugo, Sirius and Dora. Hermione was with them, Hope in her arms.

"Good morning, Mary Poppins," Rex began. "It was good of you to come. One of my mage friends…"

"_I can make my own way into Diagon Alley, Mr Milligan!_ At some point, I'll need to withdraw some galleons, if I'll have to be dealing with wizards."

"You have a vault at Gringotts, Miss Poppins?" Ron asked.

"I do, Mr Weasley. Nanny McPhee, Cole Hawlings and many of my friends do. None of may be mages as you would understand it, but we do have to do business in the magical world on occasion. You lot are so good at messing with things that you don't understand, as the late Herr Grindelwald did with that ring.

"In the meantime, you have questions to ask me about the break-in at the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, I understand?"

"Yes, Miss Poppins. When did you first start taking an interest in the Banks family? Was it connected to the Serpent Ring of Set being in the bank?"

"I first became a Nanny for the Banks family in 1910, but not due to the events of the previous year. The Banks family needed to learn how to be a family again. Only I could show them how. I did so.

"As for the presence of the Serpent Ring of Set, that was not a concern of mine, whilst it was safely in the bank. Now, it is a _concern for everyone!_ What do you know about it?"

"I briefly saw some chap called Conan in the Underworld yesterday," Harry told her. "From what he said, the ring is really controlled by extra-dimensional forces, only giving the wearer a feeling of being in control of it. He also said that only you, Miss Poppins, could stop an infiltration by said forces and only the Doctor can destroy the ring."

"Dropping it into a Black Hole should do the trick," the Doctor opined. "Now all we need to do is find it first.

"_So, the Elder Gods are involved?! This is very serious indeed! Mary Poppins, we need your help!_"

"I shall provide any assistance that I can, old friend. In the meantime, however, I have an appointment at Gringotts. A very good day to you all." With those words, Mary Poppins walked to the courtyard that led to Diagon Alley. Instead, however, of the back wall slowly sliding away to form the archway at the touch of a wand or stave against the brick three up and across from the top of the rubbish bin, it almost rushed to form the arch at a hard tap of a random brick with her umbrella. "Job done, Mary Poppins!" croaked the bird's head carving on the umbrella handle.

"That woman is _scarily powerful!_" Padma commented in awe. She then kissed Ron and Hermione in turn. "I'm due in court shortly, my loves.

"Parvati and I want to bring our parents to Grimmauld Place tonight to discuss wedding plans. After that, we all need to be in the Temple on Themyscira for some reason."

"Of course, Padma," Harry replied. "Your parents have been Potter Allies all their lives. None of my properties were ever closed to them _before all this_."

"I wonder what we are needed in the Temple for, _mon amour?_" Wednesday wondered. "All Hippolyta said was for a _Blessing…_"

"I haven't the foggiest, Weds, but _Blessing_ suggests that my parents' words about soul bonds are being fulfilled."

A Wizard Wireless in the background announced a new episode of _The Moral Mage_, a Conservative Pureblood programme hosted by Albert Runcorn's son Algernon. "Today, we are discussing the fact that the White Council is inflicting Ronald and Hermione Weasley on us British mages…"

"_I hate that man!_" Ginny grumbled.

"I'm working back on Potter Island today as there are no Quidditch matches. Pansy and I can get some articles written whilst Tracey takes Lily and Hugo to school."

None of them noted the tall, grim, swarthy man in a quiet dark alcove of the pub. If you looked at him more closely, you would swear that you saw an image of a tentacled, winged figure, a massive snake and many other forms. _Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos and the Haunter of the Dark, was abroad…_


	4. Chapter 4: Family Fortunes

"Did you have a good day at school, children?" Mary Poppins asked as she began to walk the children to the London Underground station. "Once we have got you home and fed, then we can explore fun ways of getting your homework done.

"Ah, Sid," she noted, as a white van parked by them, "can you give us a lift?"

"Certainly, Mary Poppins, although the Tube might be quicker with the traffic. Jump in, all of you!"

After seeing the children safely into the back, Mary Poppins climbed into the front passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. "Drive into that cul-de-sac, Sid."

"As cul-de-sac implies, it comes to a dead end!

"I know that look, Mary Poppins! You have something other than your arms up your sleeves…"

As Sid drove into the cul-de-sac, a tunnel entrance suddenly formed in the wall at the end. Sid drove into the tunnel and found himself driving in an elegant country lane.

"Stop here, Sid, please." Mary Poppins waved at a tall lady who seemed to flicker between ugly and pretty and a hirsute man of the medium height. "Matilda! Cole! We need to have a council meeting. It is time for the Guardians of Imagination to return."

"Sid, Jane, Michael, Annabel, meet Matilda McPhee and Cole Hawlings, two old friends of mine."

"Any friend of my fellow Nanny is a friend of mine. I'm delighted to meet you all."

"_This old Punch and Judy man thinks the same._"

"Matilda is a sort-of witch, albeit not quite the same as Mr Milligan's friends. Cole is the possessor of the Box of Delights and a medieval philosopher and alchemist…"

"Although I went by the name of Ramon Llull back then."

"That's a funny name," Annabel said. "Was it common back then?"

"It was in my native Majorca!"

"Anyway, I assume that the two of you know that the Serpent Ring of Set has been stolen? The wizards are investigating, but you remember what happened with Herr Grindelwald all too well, Cole."

"I had to use the Box to unleash Herne the Hunter on the demons. Herr Grindelwald didn't see that he brought a friend with him. You both remember Merriman Lyon, Mary, Matilda?"

"_The First of the Old Ones?!_ He was there?"

"Yes. I believe Mr Potter is a friend of the Watchman? Whilst their powers are limited against those not the _Great Lords of the Dark_, an Old One can still be useful sources of arcane knowledge lost even to us.

"Will Stanton might need informing. He still works at the British Museum, I believe?"

"He does. I'll leave that in your capable hands, Cole.

"Now, Sid, children, we need to be getting back. See you both soon, Cole, Matilda. We must get back into the van."

Sid drove along the country lane, reaching an old-fashioned road tunnel. At the other end, he found himself driving out of a cul-de-sac close to Cherry Tree Lane.

"See, Sid, the traffic was no trouble at all…"

"Are you both happy with this?" the twins' father asked. "That is my main concern, not keeping the family name going."

"We are delighted, _Pita pyare,_" Parvati assured him.

"They are our soul mates, _Pitaji_," Padma added. "We could never be happy with anyone else."

"Then you have our blessings, _marie betiyan!_" At that, the twins embraced him tightly, before doing the same to their mother. Padma and Parvati then joined their respective new families.

"We shall make the announcements after the present matter is resolved," Harry said. "The ceremony should take place on Potter Island next month, if you are both happy to be July brides."

"_Yes!_" Padma exulted. Parvati's response was equally emphatic and entirely non-verbal! When their lips had finally parted, she gave her fiancé the most beautiful smile.

"Kreacher, please could you serve dinner? I believe that Parvati gave you her recipe for chicken tikka masala?"

"Yes, Mistress Ginny. Mistress Parvati has done that. Kreacher has the meal all prepared."

"Why," Pansy wondered, "are we gathered here in bathrobes and nothing else?" It was true. At the request of Queen Hippolyta, she, Millie, Harry, Ginny, Wednesday, Daphne, Tracey, Parvati, Padma, Ron and Hermione were all gathered there, identically clad. The climate was comfortably warm, as Pansy knew, regularly having sky-clad midnight swims with the other Potter and Greengrass-Potter adults.

"In order to seal your bonds," Hippolyta announced, "I shall perform a quick ritual blessing and then you must all disrobe and make love with your soul mates under the stars in this Temple. Once each has made love to all their mates, Harry and Millie must embrace chastely, as must the twins. After all is complete, you can get dressed.

"Tomorrow, you shall be able to communicate with each other using just your minds, know where the others are always, share parts of your magical power with each other remotely. Even when the bonds are not romantic or filial, the Goddesses are blessing you with full bonds with all your soul family.

"From tonight, you are the Coven of Hecate herself!"

As Hippolyta shed her own robe and began a sensual nude dance to begin the Blessing Ceremony, the Eternal Flame pulsed and gave off a strong whit light that filled the Temple of the Six Goddesses. The Blessing would be a strong one indeed.

Nyarlathotep approached the wizard household. Reaching it, he knocked on the door loudly. Once the house elf had let him in, he was led to the master of the house.

"Greetings, I am Neil Leo Horton. I am a fellow mage, seeking an alliance."

"What are you after?" the Dark Wizard asked.

"I know how to use that _new ring of yours!_ More to the point, I can provide you with the location of another ancient talisman, the _Heart of Ahriman!_

"I can make you unstoppable!"

"I cannot believe that I have made love to one man and four women in one night. That ritual must have boosted our stamina!"

"_TMI, Daffy!_"

"You were there the whole time, Trace. You should know as much as the last girl."

"I was the _first girl!_ Does that count?!"

"_Cheeky minx!_"

"Don't quarrel, my dears," Ginny chided. "So, the eleven of us are now a coven. I wonder how this will save three lives this week?

"More to the point, how do we keep our thoughts private? Occlumency?"

"Just go easy on the _'Does my bum look big in this?' _questions!" Harry said. "Not that any of your bums ever do look big in any dress. I was speaking purely hypothetically…"

"When in a hole, Harry!" Daphne teased. "Besides being married to a dressmaker should help us with that."

"All dresses are on the house, ladies!"

"They always were, Parv."

"_True, Pads!_"

"Anyway, the rituals are complete," Hermione finished. "Now, Hope needs feeding. Mum and Dad have had the kids for long enough. Back to Potter Island, everyone?"

"Good morning. My name is Cole Hawlings, Mr Stanton…"

"_Dr _Stanton, Mr Hawlings. Call me Will. Merriman told me about you."

"I come on behalf of a friend of mine. You may have heard of Mary Poppins?"

There was not a flicker of surprise on Will's round face, just the usual solemn expression. Stocky of build, with straight mouse-brown hair, the Last of the Old Ones of the Light was entirely ordinary in appearance. The Watchman Against the Dark, however, was someone Cole would not relish fighting.

"I have, Mr Hawlings. As you probably know, Harry Potter and I are in the same club, as is my wife Susan. We have been appraised about Miss Poppins by _her_ old friend the Doctor. This is about the bank robbery, yes?!"

Cole nodded. The Last Friend of Narnia is someone else you don't pick a fight with, for fear of a certain old friend of hers. Even immortal alchemists were outclassed by Aslan! The Doctor is also not to be taken lightly. Caution was clearly required.

An alarm sounded. "Fire drill?" Cole asked.

"That's the _burglar alarm,_ Mr Hawlings!"

Will's mobile beeped. "It's an old friend of mine, a Mrs Peel. _Hi Emma… Yes, I hear the alarm… What on Earth is the Heart of Ahriman?! Oh, I see… A house elf took it?! Interesting… I'll be with you asap. Bye!_

"Well, Mr Hawlings, a house elf has just stolen a talisman associated with Thoth-Amon and his friends from the Secret Annexe…"

Thanks to the Royal Jelly Honey, Emma Peel still looked much closer to thirty than someone almost eighty-one had any right to look. With her slim athletic figure and long raven hair, her ability to turn heads was undiminished.

"Hi Will."

"Hi Emma. Meet Mr Cole Hawlings, an old friend of Mary Poppins."

"_The Flying Nanny?! Why am I not surprised?!_ I'm pleased to meet you, Mr Hawlings.

"Now, Harry told me about that bank robbery. Do you think that they are connected?"

"Two talismans associated with a dark wizard from the distant past stolen from muggle places by one or more house elves in less than a week would be one hell of a coincidence if not, old friend."

"I asked for that, Will. We need to…"

A distinctive wheezing and groaning noise sounded from the Annexe. Entering, the three were not surprised to see a battered old police box had appeared. The Doctor emerged. "I hear that there has been a robbery.

"_Well, Cole Hawlings, as I live and breathe!_ You remind me of a previous me, by the way, only with a bushy beard and a little older than normal.

"What has been stolen?"

"The _Heart of Ahriman,_ Doctor.

"Have you brought any friends with you? I like that Yas girl…"

"Yas is with her family back in Sheffield. Both Graham and Ryan are also up North, at a pub quiz night. I believe that they should be OK if a team called the Chasers aren't there. There are five of them, all with nicknames. The Beast, the Governess, the Vixen, the Dark Destroyer and the Sinner Man, I think.

"To cut a long story short, yes, I am alone. How can I help?"

"What do you know about the _Heart of Ahriman_, Doctor?"

"Originally, it was associated with a sorcerer named Xaltotun of Acheron, in about 13,000 BC. He used it as a sort of proto-Horcrux. It also can boost magical power and other fancy things.

"Thoth-Amon tried using it first against a woman who called herself Red Sonja and later against Conan himself. Eventually, the High Priest Hadrathus, an ally of Conan's, gained possession of it and used it against Conan's enemies.

"Since then, the talisman has periodically surfaced for good or for ill. If someone is acquiring artefacts from the Hyborian Age, I think that we should be worried. Assuming our person or persons unknown are dark wizards, that should be very worried indeed."

"None of the house elves we have asked, including Mopsy and Kreacher, have recognised the elf in question, Sue," Padma sighed. "As if I didn't have enough problems with getting used to having ten people having telepathic links with me…

"I know that I have a _cracking arse_, Ronald Weasley!"

"Did you mean to say that aloud, Pads?!" Susan laughed at Padma's glare.

"As long as Ron heard it in his head, I don't give a damn, Sue."

_Don't worry, Pads. I slapped the back of his head for you._

_Thank you, Hermione!_

_Oh, he's right by the way. It is cracking!_

_Do I slap her this time?!_

_No, Ron darling. Snog her senseless for me!_

"Earth to Padma!"

"Sorry, Sue! I was just chatting to my True Loves."

"Well, pass on Nev, Han and my regards."

"They reciprocate. Well, see you tomorrow, Sue. Give your spouses my love. I have a double date to get to."

"Have fun, Pads. Remember that old muggle saying. _If you can't be good, be careful…_"

"_Don't make me hurt you, Sue!_ Goodnight!"

"How was your day, Mary Poppins?"

"It has been very rewarding. Matilda and I went on a picnic in Hyde Park, Jane.

"Now, we must get home…"

"_Mary Poppins!_ The _Heart of Ahriman_ has been stolen by a house elf!"

"Well, Cole, it is time that we prepared for war against the Elder Gods…"

"You OK, Pads?!" Hermione asked. "You look a little peaky tonight."

"I'm fine, my darling. Nothing that a night out with the pair of you won't fix. _Three of you_, counting Hope.

"No, it was just a long day, Hermione. Nothing that a quick kiss and cuddle wouldn't resolve."

_Subtle, Sis!_

_Oi, Parv! Concentrate on your own love-life!_

_I am, Pads. Gin and I are currently dancing a tango in the living room at 12 Grimmauld Place. We are having a private ball._

_Have fun, Parv! Parv?!_

_She and Gin are currently lip-locked and tongue-tied, Pads._

_Thanks, Harry. Now, where was I?_

_You suggested a quick kiss and cuddle earlier, Pads._

_I did, Ron. If you and Hermione would oblige me, I would be most grateful._

_We have time to get some serious snogging in before we must leave for the restaurant, Ron, Pads._

_Hugo and Lily are playing Exploding Snap with us. We shall have them in bed before long._

_Thank you Pansy._

"Are you still awake, children? It is getting late."

"Mary Poppins, will our Mummy get better?"

"There is always hope, Annabel. Even when it seems impossible, there is always a chance if you never stop believing."

"Could your wizard friends heal her, Mary Poppins?"

"There are strict rules governing their relations with non-wizards, Jane. It might not be allowed.

"That said, there may be _Exceptions…_"

"That was a lovely evening, _darlings_," Padma sighed happily. "_A woman could get used to this…"_

"And the night is still young, love," Hermione noted, kissing her softly.

"_Miss Patil!_ Mopsy has spoken to one of Narcissa Malfoy's elves, Tippy. Tippy thinks that the house elf who stole the jewels belongs to Zacharias Smith. Zacharias Smith has been hanging around that Algernon Runcorn.

"Mopsy is sorry to interrupt your evening, but Mopsy thought that you and Mr and Mrs Weasley would all want to know."

"We do. Thank you Mopsy."

"No problem, Miss Patil, as long as Miss Patil will sign Mopsy's Overtime Stencil…"

"Of course, Mopsy. Bring it to me in the morning, please."

"Miss Patil is too kind to Mopsy."

"We need to get to Smith's now," Hermione observed. "_We need answers!_"

_Millie, please place all other Furies on Battle Stations._

_Certainly, Padma. No heroics, any of you!_

_Zacharias Smith is hardly a threat, Millie!_

_Non, Ron, mon vieux, but we don't know everything those talismans can do! A demon or Elder God isn't an easy takedown!_

_We'll follow you all to the ends of the Earth if needs be!_

_Thanks, Daphne._

_You can call me Daffy now, Ron, in private at least._

_I'll contact Harry Dresden. The White Council needs to be informed, as does the rest of the Secret Circle general committee, mes amis!_

_Thanks, Weds. Well, my darlings, we must Apparate to the Smith residence. We need to speak to that elf…_

"Well, here we are. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"The Smith residence is pretty opulent," Hermione noted. "An elegant Georgian townhouse like this must have cost a few quid when new. It would cost a couple of million now, I should think.

"That said, fortune favours the bold. Let's try the direct approach."

Ron rang the doorbell. The front door swung open, revealing a house elf in a burlap sack, just like the one that the thief was wearing. "Master had not told Cadger that we were expecting visitors. Cadger is afraid that Master is out. Come on in."

"Actually, Cadger," Hermione said, once Cadger had led them to a cosy sitting room, "we wanted to speak to you. You see, we are investigating a couple of robberies of magical items from muggle places.

"Cadger, where were you on the…"

"Cadger cannot answer those questions. Master forbade it."

"In which case," Ron said as he, Hermione and Padma drew their wands, "Cadger must be taken in for questioning!"

Cadger held up his hands, palms facing them. All three mages quickly found themselves disarmed and bound hand and foot and gagged! The house elf activated the floo and spoke an address into it. _It's Algernon Runcorn's place!_ Padma thought desperately.

_We heard it, Sis! Stay strong! We'll be there shortly!_

_Thanks, Parv. _Padma struggled against the cords binding her wrists together behind her back. _These bonds are too tight. I can't reach the knots…_

"So," Runcorn boomed through the fireplace, "bring the prisoners to us, Cadger.

"You see, Patil, Weasleys, we were looking for one or more human sacrifices to fully master the _Heart of Ahriman. Guess who has just volunteered themselves?!_"

_Hurry up, everyone!_

_We shall be at Runcorn's place soon, Hermione. We'll save you!_

_Hurry, Millie, please!_

Cadger was levitating the three helpless captives through the floo and down into a dark cellar with a crude altar in the middle. Smith, Runcorn and a tall, swarthy grim-faced balding man that none of them recognised were standing by it.

"_Stun them!_" the unknown man ordered. "We need them stripped naked and chained to the altar to begin the ritual." After that, there were three red flashes and the prisoners knew no more!

Ron was not surprised to find himself lying face-up on the altar, wearing only the shackles holding him spread-eagled to it. Padma was on his left and Hermione on his right, both also naked and chained. "You won't get away with this!" he roared.

Smith, Runcorn and the unknown man approached in hooded cloaks, each holding a large ritual knife. "We already have, Mr Weasley!" the stranger replied.

_If we share part of our magic with you, we can break those chains magically._

_Thanks Harry. Do it!_

_I'm afraid. Ron! The last time I was naked and chained like this was when Gallia…_

_We know, Hermione. Try to push that from your mind for now._

_Once your chains are off, roll off the altar. Padma, we can obliviate later. Just change into Justice once you are off the altar._

_Will do, Millie. Do it now!_

Three knives were raised in the air ready to strike. Before that could happen, with a burst of light, the shackles burst open and the three prisoners rolled onto the floor. Padma stood up, spun rapidly to the right and a vortex, flash of light and a thunderclap later was clad in black armour decorated with white astrological and alchemical symbols over her torso and flanks; a short skirt; knee-high boots; large bronze bracelets; a golden tiara with a Caduceus symbol on the front; a bronze hoplon shield slung across her back; and her golden magic belt with a lasso, a sword in its scabbards and a Caduceus wand in its holster all hanging from it.

"You're a _Fury!_" Smith groaned. "We're doomed!"

"Hold your nerves, Smith, Runcorn!"

"Well, Mr _Whoever-You-Are_, I am Justice of the Furies. I am going to _kick your arse!_"

_Harry, Weds, you know how I am always scolding you both, Hannah and Neville for objectivising your significant others in their costumes? I apologise. My fiancée is __**HOT!**_

"Meanwhile," Justice continued, drawing her Caduceus wand and waving it at Ron and Hermione, "my intendeds should be attired and armed." Both Ron and Hermione were in white robes and carrying a sword and a shield apiece.

_Neither of us have training with these, Pads! What do we do?_

_The pointed end goes in the other guy, Ron!_

_Thanks for the tip, Trace. I would never have guessed…_

_We'll make a Slytherin of you yet, Hermione!_

_Thank you Pansy darling. I'll take that as a compliment._

_It was meant as one, dear!_

_We know where you are, thanks to the bond. The Doctor is giving us a lift._

Smith and Runcorn's stunners at Ron and Hermione were crudely blocked by their shields. Justice's tiara flew to knock both wizards' wands out of their hands. Ron tried his hand at a crouching shield charge. Whilst not to Captain America's standards, it was still enough to send Smith flying into a pillar unconscious! He then looked over to see Justice transfigure Runcorn into a toad, before she squared up to the Stranger, leaping into the air and bashing him repeatedly with the flat of her sword. With her enhanced speed and strength, the man should have been a bleeding pulp. He seemed to be taking it as if Justice was a petulant child brandishing her fists to no effect.

"Who are you?" Justice asked, sword in one hand, Caduceus wand in the other, shield on the wand arm. "Not that it matters, but I like to know whom I am fighting."

"My name is Neil Leo Horton…"

As he spoke, the Doctor's TARDIS materialised and a portal opened nearby, three figures coming through. One was a hirsute greying man of the medium height, another a tall woman who seemed to fluctuate between ugly and pretty and the last an elegant brunette in Edwardian clothes and carrying an umbrella with a bird-headed handle.

"On the contrary," said Mary Poppins, "your name is _Nyarlathotep!_"


	5. Chapter 5: Mary Poppins Unleashed!

As Mary Poppins spoke, the Doctor led Wonder Witch and all the Furies bar the pregnant Nemesis, Harry, Wednesday, Draco, Neville and Hannah out of the TARDIS. With a bell-like chime, two carved wooden doors appeared out of mid-air a few feet from the TARDIS. The Doors opened and Will and Susan Stanton led Zatanna Zatara, Jason Blood, John Constantine, Harry Dresden, Willow Rosenberg, Stephen Strange and Wanda Maximoff through. "You are _outclassed, pal!_" Harry Dresden snarled.

"I am _an Elder God, Mr Dresden!_ Do you seriously think that you can beat me? _Any of you?!_"

"_Gone! Gone! the form of man!_

_Arise the Demon __**Etrigan**__!_"

"_By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, thou shalt not pass!"_

"I am the Doctor. You are attacking my friends. I don't like it. You have one chance to stop."

"Mr Nyarlathotep, I am Mary Poppins. I was nursemaid to the Holy Family and am _the Great Exception_ to whom the Rules of Nature don't apply. If I imagine it, or cause others to imagine it, it shall be so.

"I am a Nanny. You are just a naughty boy in need of discipline."

As Nyarlathotep changed from his human to his serpentine _Crawling Chaos_ form, Etrigan bathed him in hellfire.

"_If you wish a monster for to be,_

_Then shall hellfire be aimed at thee!_"

Willow and Harry Dresden added their own magical fire, with Zatanna casting _"Ria ot eci!"_ to conjure a layer of ice under the fire in the hope of cracking the Elder God's skin. Meanwhile, Wonder Witch, Protectress, Warrior and Lioness were giving the monstrous form a beating with swords and shields. Whilst nothing seemed to be effective, at least they were not out of the fight.

Alerted presumably by the noise, Cadger the house elf _popped_ in. With a few shakes, he roused his master and retrieved Smith's wand. "Cadger thinks that that toad is Master Runcorn, Master. That serpent monster appears to be Master Horton."

"Thank you, Cadger. I'll cancel the transfiguration on Runcorn. You retrieve his wand for him.

"Once that is done, we can depart with all due haste. We are looking at Azkaban for this!"

Once transfigured back into a man, Runcorn disagreed with Smith. "_You idiot! _If we can get our hands on…"

"_These?!_" Ron asked, holding aloft a ring made of copper or a similar coloured metal and in the form of a snake coiled three times and biting its tail and with yellow jewels for eyes. Hermione, beside him, was holding up a great red jewel that glowed with a golden light.

"_Hand them over, Weasleys!_" Runcorn ordered.

"You will have to get through us first, Runcorn!" Justice vowed, Grace and Wrath on either side. "_You will not harm my True Loves!_"

_You are so getting shagged for that later! _

"_Accio Heart of Ahriman!_" At Runcorn's spell, the jewel was wrenched out of Hermione's hands. As it flew towards him, Justice caught it. The second that she touched it, the golden glow intensified, and within a few seconds Runcorn, Smith and Cadger had fallen to the ground, their lifeless corpses looking as if they had been mummified millennia before.

"_I never meant for that to happen…_" Justice gasped, dropping the gemstone. Grace hugged her twin, before Ron and Hermione held her close. "Yes, I've killed before, but that…"

"It must be some property of the wretched thing," Wrath noted. "Didn't someone tell us that it could amplify magical potency or something?

"Justice would _never_ have cast, or probably even have known about, any spell that could do _that_, but I don't have any other explanation."

"_I do!_" the Doctor told them. "Women with a certain gift can have an effect on the _Heart_…"

Protectress and Vendetta had joined them. "Well, whatever the gift," the former noted, "we don't seem to have it, as it isn't doing that when we hold it, no more than it did when Hermione had it."

Meanwhile, whatever the others were doing to the _Crawling Chaos_, it wasn't having any significant impact. Wanda tried hex blasts, Stephen the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak and John every combination of dirty tricks and magic that he could think of, but everything seemed to bounce off the skin of the eldritch creature with little or no apparent affect. Until, that is, a mysterious wind began to develop in the cellar and Mary Poppins, her open umbrella held aloft, soared towards the ceiling. Meanwhile, Cole Hawlings produced a small wooden box with a hinged lid. The lid had a green fabric on top with a gemstone mounted in the centre and a clasp fastening. Cole opened the Box of Delights and a portal opened above it. A tall man in the garb of a medieval huntsman wearing a helmet with deer antlers stemming from both sides emerged driving a chariot drawn by lions emerged from the portal. When he saw Will, his tawny eyes twinkled. "Good evening, Will," he remarked in the _Old Speech_ that only they on Earth could now Speak. The Leader of the Wild Hunt was speaking to the Last of the Old Ones of the Light. "Good hunting, Will, Cole."

"It is, Friend Herne," Will replied. "Give Nyarlathotep hell for us!"

The lions flew off the ground and began to harry Nyarlathotep, the hunter barking out orders with an untamed fury. A leaping Etrigan alongside a flying Wonder Witch continued to battle the Elder God as well. At an almost imperceptible nod from Matilda McPhee, the floor beneath the _Crawling Chaos_ froze over. Harry Dresden raised his staff and cast _"Arctis!"_ to reinforce the slippery ice. Nyarlathotep, slipping, switched to his tentacled winged form and took to the skies. Around Mary Poppins, thunderclouds formed, and the Elder God found himself struck repeatedly by lightning, whilst being attacked by Furies and lions alike in the air. The fray would be fiercer

Stephen Strange opened a portal of his own, leading to the grey walls of the city of Kadath in the Cold Wastes of the Plateau of Leng. _"It is time to go home, Nyarlathotep!_"

"As if you can _send me into exile, Strange!_"

"_I am the Great Exception,_" Mary Poppins stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "_More than that, I am a Nanny. You are a naughty boy. I am sending you to your room in disgrace!_"

The winds and the lightning bolts intensified around the Elder God. He, It, _Whatever_, tried to attack Mary Poppins with tentacles and dark illusions, but a glowing bright light surrounded her, and nothing could touch her or otherwise affect her. Not a hair on her head was out of place. She had a neutral expression on her face, but, if you looked carefully at her, you would see a fierce, determined look in her eyes. There was an energy flowing from her, unlike any magic that they had seen before.

_Wow! I don't know what sort of magic she has, but Mary Poppins exceeds us witches and wizards by as much as a great Cathedral exceeds a small parish church!_

_Considering she is currently facing an Elder God head-on and winning, I doubt that any of us will argue with you there, Hermione._

_Hugo and Hope are with Susan in the TARDIS, by the way. Hugo was playing Wizard Chess with Lily last I saw._

_Thanks for that, Pansy._

_No problem, Ron. We just told them that you had all been captured and needed rescuing, not that you only narrowly escaped becoming human sacrifices. They also know that we would either rescue you or avenge you. We would never flinch from the fight._

_We'll make a Gryffindor of you yet, Pansy._

_Thank you, Hermione darling. I'll take that as a compliment._

_It was meant as one, dear!_

Grace was fiddling with the _Heart of Ahriman_. "Being a twin isn't the _certain gift_, then as it doesn't seem to do anything other than softly glow for me either."

"I don't know what makes me so special," Justice mused. She took it from her sister. "Perhaps there is more to it…

"_That extra intensity to the glow! It's starting again…_"

As the _Heart of Ahriman _glowed brighter, a beam of golden light radiated from it, homing in on Nyarlathotep like a laser. The wind and lighting bolts that Mary Poppins was generating intensified. The Elder God was already seeming to shrink, with tentacles fading into non-existence, before the ray struck. Once it had, Nyarlathotep gave a blood-curdling cry and disappeared into Stephen Strange's portal, which closed immediately afterwards. With that, the _Crawling Chaos _was temporarily banished from this world.

"It was good to see you all again," Herne said. "Until the next time, farewell." With that he steered his lion-drawn chariot back through the portal. Once he was gone, Cole Hawlings closed the Box of Delights and with it the portal.

"It is always good to speak the Old Tongue again," Will said softly, Susan holding him close.

"Thank you for saving us," Hermione sighed. "I only hope the _bastards_ didn't _do anything to us whilst they were stripping and chaining us…_"

The Doctor scanned them all with her sonic screwdriver. "None of you three have had sex for a few hours, although you had quite a lot last night. _You haven't been raped again, Hermione…_"

"_Thank God for that! It was bad enough the first time…_"

"It's OK, love," Ron assured her, as Justice and he drew her in close.

"I wonder what happened with Justice and the _Heart of Ahriman_," Harry mused. "It didn't react at all to any other women, including her twin."

"Of course not, Mr Potter," Mary Poppins replied testily, "_That is the Special Gift. Only one who carries New Life Within Her can use the Heart of Ahriman like that…_"

"_New Life… I'm pregnant?!_"

Once again, the Doctor fiddled with her sonic screwdriver. "The ovum was fertilised late last night with the resulting embryo implanting within the last couple of hours. It counts as a pregnancy.

"Congratulations by the way. In about nine months' time, you should be a mother.

"Back into the TARDIS, everyone. Lily and Hugo want to know that you are all safe and sound. There are also two talismans with a date with a Black Hole!"

After Grace had pulled her twin into a tight hug and Ron and Hermione had covered Justice's face in kisses, they all entered the TARDIS. Once reunited with their children, the three former prisoners had an opportunity to get washed and changed in one of the TARDIS' bedrooms. Meanwhile, the Doctor materialised her TARDIS over a Black Hole and Mary Poppins and Cole Hawlings cast the _Serpent Ring of Set_ and the _Heart of Ahriman_ respectively into it.

"Well," the Doctor mused, "Nyarlathotep and his kind might be able to retrieve them from there. No human dark witch or wizard could steal anything from a Black Hole more than 5,000 light years from Earth.

"I think that should put an end to the whole business over the house elf burglaries..."

"To British wizards, it probably does," Mary Poppins noted. "Once we get back to Cherry Tree Lane, there are some matters still to resolve…"

The TARDIS materialised in front of 17 Cherry Tree Lane. As everyone came out of the TARDIS, they met the Milligans, Scamanders and Dana-Craigs, plus Rex's best friend, "Jigger" Johnson and his wife Velma nee Dinkley, George Jones nee Kirrin and her husband Jupiter and Jon and Penny Warrender. Rex, Jigger, George and Jon (with Penny as an unofficial fifth member, when she wasn't running the family hotel in Rye Royal) had formed the Paranormal Investigations Bureau back in the 1960s. Harry had decided to post a guard at Cherry Tree Lane. Whilst nothing happened, as expected, he wanted to be certain, particularly with Mary Poppins likely to fly into what Rex and Jigger would call a "rooftop-level bate" if the Banks family was harmed.

"These are my friends Matilda McPhee and Cole Hawlings," Mary Poppins told the Cherry Tree Lane part of the operation. "I imagine that Mr Milligan has heard of them."

"I knew Kay Harker slightly," Rex said. "Mr Hawlings is an immortal alchemist turned Punch and Judy man. He possesses the fabulous Box of Delights. Nanny Matilda McPhee is a sort-of witch who has a similar modus operandi to yourself. She tends to be less associated with just the one family than you do, Ms Poppins.

"By the way, I have read some of your writings as Ramon Llull, Mr Hawlings. Whilst I find aspects of your thoughts on Christian attitudes towards Jews very much of their time at best, your influence on the development of mathematics and classification was considerable. I'm not entirely sure what to make of you, honestly…"

"Mr Milligan, I can offer no excuses for what I wrote. I did try to debate peacefully with Jew and Arab alike in my much younger days. My works were written when Muslims were overrunning Spain and Jews all too easily seen as an enemy within.

"Throughout my almost eight centuries, I have seen the fruits of that fear fire up the gas chambers of the Third Reich. Sometimes I wonder if God allowed me to obtain immortality as a curse and not a blessing…"

"Maybe He did," Louise offered, "but in any case, you seem to be truly penitent. I'm sure that you were absolved years ago, particularly with a life of good deeds."

"_I'm not sure that it works like that…_"

"Stop being a Protestant, Rex!"

"I couldn't change it any more than you could cease being Catholic, Jean. It is part of who we are. All that we are is what our lives have made of us.

"In my case, I have found a family in our Communities that I love dearly. There is this family that Linda and I have married into and that has adopted Harriet…"

"_Family hug!_" Jean interrupted, pulling wife, sister, brother-in-law and niece into a five-way embrace.

"_I love family hugs!_" Harriet gushed. "After my birth father treated me as a prisoner, this family makes me feel _so loved_.

"Any chance of a playdate soon, twins?"

Lorcan and Lysander exchanged glances. "Of course, Harriet," Lorcan replied. "We can arrange it with our families at the school gates tomorrow. As far as I know, Mum and Dad have nothing scheduled for this weekend."

"We don't," Rolf agreed. "Unless you can remember anything, Luna darling…"

"The kitchen needs more dirigible plums, my love…"

"If we take the kids, Sis," Rex interrupted hastily, "you can spend some time. I know that you like to take your time decorating the kitchen."

"Of course. A few around the house enhance the ability to accept the extraordinary. Daddy swears by them…"

"We are in the presence of Mary Poppins, Luna. She has that effect, too."

"_Really, Louise?!_

"Ms Poppins, do you give out dirigible plums? I find them most effective…"

"_No, Mrs Scamander, I do not!_

"Now, I must be going back into 17 Cherry Tree Lane. _A very goodnight to you all…_" With those words, Mary Poppins rang the doorbell. George Banks let her in.

"I am sorry that I was required elsewhere, Mr and Mrs Banks, Sid," Mary Poppins said when they were all gathered together in the sitting room. "Matters were urgent. That said, I am here now.

"Now, Mrs Banks," she grasped Claire's hand, "due to events earlier this evening, I have some _energy to spare_. Excuse me for a moment…"

As she left the room, Claire looked around and then pulled herself out of her wheelchair. She took a couple of tentative steps, before dancing with joy. "I don't know what Mary Poppins did, but she has _healed me!_"

The phone rang. George answered. "_Richard! Hello… The police have been in touch? Good… All is sorted? Again, that is good news… The contents were not retrieved? Oh well… Yes, that is great. We have glorious news of our own… I don't know how, but Claire is dancing around the sitting room… I'll pass your love onto her and the kids… Goodnight, Richard._"

"What do you think Mary Poppins did?" Annabel asked her siblings.

"_Who cares?!_" Michael responded. "All that was broken is now mended…"

"Indeed, it is," Mary Poppins replied, carpet bag in one hand, umbrella in the other. "I am no longer needed. _The wind is changing as we speak…_"

"_Mary Poppins!_ What do you mean?" George asked.

"You know the old family legend, George," Sid said quietly. "_Mary Poppins only stays for as long as she is needed. We don't need her now…_"

Mary Poppins walked out into the street. A mighty gale once more blew. She opened her umbrella and raised it. _"Home, Mary Poppins?!_" asked the bird-headed handle.

"_Home! If you would be so kind…_" With those words, Mary Poppins took to the skies.

Cole Hawlings took the Box of Delights out of a coat pocket. "Press the clasp to open the box. Push it to the right to go small. Push it to the left to _go swift…_" He pushed it to the left and promptly took to the skies himself. "_Show-offs!_" Matilda McPhee called good-naturedly after her friends.

"Now," Matilda said, beginning to walk away, having settled into her prettiest form, "remember this. We are the Guardians of the Imagination. _When we are needed, we must stay. When we are merely wanted but not needed, then we must go…_" As she walked, she seemed to fade away into thin air. By this time, her friends had vanished into the clouds.

"Well, nothing else strange can happen…" George sighed. "_Wait! What is an old police box doing on the pavement? How can so many people be going into it?! And…_" He was interrupted by the doors of the police box closing, before the light on top flashed blue in time to a strange sound. It too began to fade in and out of vision before disappearing completely.

"Well, this time, nothing else strange can happen…"

"Do you think we shall see Mary Poppins again?" Annabel asked softly. "_I miss her already…_"

"We all do," Jane replied softly.

"_Oh yes,_" Sid said softly. "_I think we'll see her again someday…_

"_How soon that day will be, who knows?!_"


	6. Epilogue: Twin Wedding

Potter Island, July 2019

"_Genda_," Lily said, "the ceremony starts soon. Are we still on time?"

"We should be, Lily dear. I am just making some final alterations to Auntie Padma's dress. She keeps changing shape slightly…"

"_Blame Ronald Weasley! He got me in this way…_"

"_You weren't complaining during that bonding ritual, Pads!_ Besides, I was there when they kissed you yesterday afternoon. You shall be celebrating your wedding night in the traditional manner tonight, I presume."

"Of course. You will be too, Parv.

"So, one last embrace as spinsters, Sis?"

"Please, Pads!" The twins hugged and pecked each other's cheeks.

"_Marie khoobsoorat betiyan!_" their mother sobbed.

"It is time to go," Rose announced. "Good luck, _Genda_, Auntie Parvati."

Each twin took one of their father's arms, their mother, James, Albus, Lily, Rose and Hugo lining up behind them. The party processed to a Temple to the Six Goddesses set up on Potter Island, where Harry, Ginny, Wednesday, Daphne, Ron and Hermione were waiting, with Tracey, Millie and Pansy in attendance, all of them in short white Grecian robes. Hippolyta was officiating, unclad as usual when acting as High Priestess.

A spectral white figure seemed to emerge from the Eternal Flame to join the procession. "_Lav!_" Parvati cried with joy.

"You didn't think that I would allow a pesky little detail like _death_ stop me from attending your wedding, did you Parv?" Lavender Brown asked drily.

"I'm glad it didn't, Lav. Consider yourself an honorary bridesmaid!"

_Wow! You both look gorgeous! Those Bollywood style dresses that leave your midriffs almost bare are gorgeous! You are in House Colours too! Parvati, you have surpassed yourself._

_Thanks, Millie. Getting the look right with a pregnant woman wasn't easy. Luckily, she is only a few weeks gone._

_Parvati! No comments about my bump!_

_It is the most beautiful part of you, Pads._

_Thank you, Hermione. I owe you a long kiss!_

_I'll collect it during the ceremony, darling!_

At that point, the bridal party reached the altar. Less than an hour later, Padma Patil-Weasley and Parvati Patil-Potter were happily married women.

The Doctor turned to her "Plus-One" for the event. "What did you make of that, Mary Poppins? I thought that it was a lovely ceremony."

"It was, Doctor. The Potters did a fantastic job of putting on this event.

"Why did you invite me?"

"There are so many things going on in the world these days, Mary Poppins. We shall need the various Guardians of the Imagination more than ever. You, Matilda and Cole may be a line of last resort. The things that you three can do…

"Besides, River is dead. I doubt that I shall see her again. It is time to move on."

"I'm flattered, Doctor. You are seriously considering…"

"Why not?!" The Doctor slipped an arm around her old friend's shoulders. "After all, who else could I find who is _Practically Perfect in Every Way?!_"

"That went perfectly," Parvati commented over the wedding banquet. "My twin and I are very lucky!"

"We are indeed, Parv."

"_What is that?!_" A figure seemed to fall out of the sky.

As Harry and Millie investigated, they found Cole Hawlings on the ground, dazed but otherwise unhurt. He sat up with a start. "_Call Will Stanton! The Seals are Breaking! The Great Lords of the Dark will soon be loose in the world once more…_"

"Don't worry, Cole," said Mary Poppins. "We can see them off once more."

"_Oh_," Will Stanton said softly, "_we will. The Light must rise once more. The Old Ones of the Light must return…_"

Author's Afterword

As usual, thank you to Model Builder for his advice and encouragement.

Emma Thompson based Nanny McPhee on a series of books about Nurse Matilda. I decided to give the Nanny the Nursemaid's given name, as she was never given one in the films.

Cole Hawlings was played in a 1984 BBC TV adaption of "The Box of Delights" by the late great Patrick Troughton, of "Doctor Who" fame. Repeats of "The Box of Delights" were once as essential a part of Christmas as, well, "Mary Poppins".

I hope you liked the story.


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